Stocke home transformed into holiday wonderland

Nestled on Cameo Lane in Carmi, there is a home even Santa would be jealous of. Maryann and Phil Stocke create a Holiday Wonderland at their residence each season, using the true meaning of Christmas as the backdrop for their theme.

Nestled on Cameo Lane in Carmi, there is a home even Santa would be jealous of. Maryann and Phil Stocke create a Holiday Wonderland at their residence each season, using the true meaning of Christmas as the backdrop for their theme.

Decorating for the holidays began when Maryann was young. Her mother enjoyed decorating for Christmas and Maryann soon caught the bug to continue the trend. When she and Phil got married 27 years ago, they merged several heirlooms from each of their parents Christmas collections, spurring the beginning of what now encompasses the entire interior of their home.

"I start decorating right after Halloween and I have everything up and in place by Thanksgiving," said Maryann. "I love nativity scenes and try to have at least one in each room. I add to the collection each year and it just continues to grow."

Maryann has enjoyed shopping for new items over the years. She utilizes after-Christmas sales to add to her collection and also watches some of her favorite stores for deals. One of the pieces she is most proud of is the large nativity scene that sits on her dining room table, which is accompanied by oversized wise men, also special pieces.

"I had seen this nativity scene at the Integrity Store in Evansville a year before," said Maryann. "I had my eye on it. As soon as they put it on sale, I snatched it up. And, a few years ago, a friend of mine had a family member pass away, who had several unique Christmas decorations, including three wise men. They were all going into a rummage sale and she called me. She said she wanted them to go to a home that loves Christmas."

With so many items, Maryann does try to create a mini theme within each space. She has a large collection of nutcrackers together in the office while several pieces of the Department 56 North Pole Village encompass one whole wall in their dining room. The Stockes also have the Department 56 Snow Village, which sits atop their television console in the living room. Maryann has also created a room to showcase Phil's favorite sports teams, the Cubs and the Bears, which are represented with Christmas items.

Phil also has his favorites among the many types and styles of decorations. He selected two plates as ones he treasures most, both numbered limited edition pieces. One is from the Salvation Army while one is a picture of Baby Jesus with all the animals surrounding him.

"Those two plates kind of tell what Christmas is all about," said Phil. "My mother always loved Christmas and Maryann enjoys it so much. It brings a lot of happiness to us."

Phil's mother was a collector of Spode dishes, a brand carried by Mr. Kent in downtown Carmi. Each year, Phil would go to the store and select a new piece to add to her collection. The dishware was passed onto Phil and Maryann after she passed away. Today, they have service for 20 people and continue to add pieces when they find them.

Page 2 of 2 - Phil and Maryann also have two dogs, Wrigley and Bella. They have various items throughout the house to represent the Dachshund breed, from ornaments on their main tree in the living room to a dog bone biscuit tree in the kitchen.

Maryann had company in her love of decorating. Her neighbor, Vivian Williams, also enjoyed transforming the inside of her home for Christmas. The two homes sat side by side, fully decorated and ready for visitors.

"When Vivian was decorating, it was nothing for us to have 200-300 people come through our homes each year to look at the decorations," said Maryann. "When Vivian reached her 80's, she stopped decorating, but I've continued to keep the tradition going, and we still host as many people as we can through our home to see all of the decorations."

The display stays in place, both inside and out, until New Year's Day. Once the holidays are officially completed, Maryann takes photographs of the displays to have a record of where each piece goes and the photographs are stored until the set-up process begins again the following year. The items are then separated by room and labeled into plastic bins and returned to the storage locker.

"I enjoy putting all of these decorations up each year and I love having people come through to see them," said Maryann. "I invite anyone that would like to come through and see all of the decorations to give me a call. There is a lot of love that goes into this project, and I like to share it with others."

Maryann graduated from SIU with her degree in elementary education. She received her first master's degree from University of Southern Indiana in elementary education and later received a master's degree in administration from Eastern Illinois University. She currently serves as principal for Lincoln Attendance Center.

Because she has invested 32 years in teaching, Maryann has accumulated a lot of Christmas ornaments through the years from students. Therefore, she has created a way to tie her job into her love of decorating for the Christmas season, keeping every ornament that any child has ever given to her.

"I have 12 trees total in the house," said Maryann. "I have a tree on the sun porch that has all the ornaments I have gotten from kids over the years. They are all displayed on that tree."

To experience the unique Christmas display, contact Maryann at 384-3331. She and Phil will be more than happy to open their home to guests interested in taking a tour of a true hidden holiday treasure in Carmi.